Auckland student radio station 95bFM has announced it will relocate to K’Rd by the end of July 2026, marking a major new chapter in the station’s nearly six-decade history.

Moving to Karangahape Road will position the station close to many of the music, arts, media, nightlife and creative communities it has championed since 1969.

95bFM General Manager Tom Tremewan says the move from Auckland University’s campus is a significant moment for the station which has been part of Auckland’s creative culture for 60 years, and also a major opportunity.

“K’Road is the logical next home for 95bFM. It keeps us close to the city, close to campus, and close to the musicians, artists, venues, listeners, and community who make up the cultural ecosystem that we exist to serve.

“95bFM has always been more than bricks and mortar,” Tremewan says. “The station will continue to be the training ground for the next generation of broadcasters and rangatahi who want to learn about broadcasting, media, music, or journalism. It’s also one of the remaining refuges for those who simply want to find kinship in a creative community. Our purpose does not change because we are moving a 10-minute walk up the road.

“Our new home will deepen the station’s commitment to that ecosystem by placing 95bFM in the middle of one of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s most important cultural streets.

“Other student radio stations, including RDU and Radio Active, have already been through major station moves and have come out the other end bigger, better, stronger, and more resilient. It can be done, and it will be done. 95bFM has moved through every possible version of media chaos over the last 60 years. This is another big one, but it is not bigger than us.”

The station’s relocation will involve a staged technical transition designed to protect broadcast continuity and minimise disruption.

“Obviously this isn’t a simple ‘pack everything into boxes and plug it back in somewhere else’ kind of move,” Tremewan says. “Because we’re a live broadcast operation, the relocation has to happen in phases so we can protect our transmission, minimise downtime, and safely move 95bFM without breaking the station in the process.

“We have to work through the practical realities of moving six decades’ worth of radio history, broadcasting equipment, tattered office furniture, faded gig posters, dying pot plants, and spiritual residue. The plan is to manage the relocation in stages so we can keep broadcasting while the station is moved,rebuilt, tested, and settled into its new home.”

The technical transition is being led by Rick Huntington, better known to generations of 95bFM listeners as Rick Breeze, the station’s long-serving technical director and engineer.

Described by Russell Brown as 95bFM’s “ageless and imperturbable technical guy”, Huntington first encountered the station during an Orientation scavenger hunt in 1984 – the same year the station moved from AM to FM, and this year marks 42 years since Huntington first began working with 95bFM.

“Nobody understands the vital organs of the station better than Rick – because he built most of it,” Tremewan says. “Rick’s been a part of nearly every major technical era of the station, from the AM-to-FM transition through outside broadcasts, digital systems, streaming, studios, and transmission. Having him lead the technical side of this move gives us all enormous confidence.”

Despite the physical move, 95bFM remains committed to broadcasting on 95.0FM while continuing to grow its digital platform.

“Our future is not digital instead of radio. It is digital as well as radio. We’re committed to staying on-air, but we’re also building the digital infrastructure we need to reach new audiences, support local music, strengthen student radio’s public-interest role, and continueevolving as a modern independent media organisation,” Tremewan says.

The announcement comes during a period of renewed momentum for 95bFM. Recent commercial radio audience surveys have shown growth in the station’s weekly terrestrial listenership, with recent audience growth suggesting renewed appetite for local radio, music discovery, and independent news and current affairs. In November, 95bFM will also host the Student Radio Network Aotearoa Alternative Awards at The Hollywood in Avondale.